The New Orleans Police Department's bomb squad found eight suspicious devices, including one with a timer and a fuse, inside of an abandoned truck parked outside of a Mid-City bank on Monday morning. Police said the truck, which was parked in the parking lot of the Whitney Bank located in the 3300 block of Canal Street, had been parked in the lot since Friday and had raised concerns from employees at the bank.

About 9:30 a.m., a mounted NOPD officer working a detail inside of the bank was alerted by employees that the suspicious vehicle had been there all weekend, police said.

When the officer, who has previous military experience, went to investigate the matter, he opened the truck's driver's side door and noticed what appeared to be two incendiary devices, according to NOPD spokesman Frank Robertson III.

"When he opened the door something activated because it began to sizzle and smolder; it was smoking," said Robertson.

Robertson said the devices were slightly larger than the size of a cigar box.

The officer immediately shut the door and notified NOPD. The bank and the surrounding area were evacuated, and public transportation was stopped. Robertson said that approximately 100 people, including all of the employees at Whitney Bank, had been evacuated.

A two-block radius on Canal Street, stretching from N. Jefferson Davis Parkway to N. Lopez, was evacuated for nearly four hours as NOPD officers, including canine units and members of the bomb squad, responded alongside New Orleans Fire Department units and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, Robertson said.

At first, two mechanical robots were deployed to do a visual assessment and found three devices inside of the truck. When NOPD's bomb squad technicians entered the truck, however, they found an additional five devices, Robertson said, including one that had a timer and a fuse attached to it.

The devices were brought to a secure area where they will be analyzed and detonated if necessary, Robertson said, adding that it is still not known whether any of the devices are in fact explosive in nature. As of 1:30 p.m. the area was declared safe and residents and workers were allowed to return to their buildings.

Police said that the suspicious vehicle in question has not been reported stolen and that attempts have been made to contact the owner of the truck.